Circumcision is a very big rite of passage for the men in the Maasai culture. It is on a schedule that happens once every 7 years and this is the year.
So the young men in their teens are all circumcised sometime during the year. There is a party for the guys, where they dance & sing and are danced around by other older men. This goes on all night to prepare the young man mentally for the event.
In the early morning when the sun is coming up it is done, one by one. Traditionally it is a test of courage for the teens not to utter a sound as they are held down & it is performed without anything for the pain.
After the event they dress in black instead of the usual red wraps or shukas. And for the next several months they gather with others who are called Moroni Warriors, those circumcised this year.
This will now be their 'age group', who they will be identified with their whole lives. With this also goes teaching about the culture and what is expected of them as Maasai Men.
You see here they paint their faces white. These pics were taken off of our balcony as they march & sing together down the road. Christian Maasai take their sons to the hospital to have it done, but they still go through some of the teaching & celebration.
This will not happen again for another seven years. When those in their teens prepare for manhood. I am learning to appreciate & honor these tribal traditions. Maybe not all they entail but the meaning & value behind celebrating & remembering special times in our lives is a good thing.
So we sit back and learn yet another lesson from these beautiful interesting people.
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